Preview
Copywork
About This Passage
This sentence treats the sun like a person who has chosen Despereaux. Notice the words 'weak but determined' — the sun is small but it does not give up. It SQUEEZES through a small hole to find one tiny mouse. And it places 'one golden finger' on him, like a gentle touch from above. DiCamillo is making the sun a kind of blessing. Copying this sentence teaches a writer how to make a thing of nature feel like a kind person who has noticed someone.
The April sun, weak but determined, shone through the castle window, and from there squeezed itself through a small hole in the wall and placed one golden finger on the little mouse.
Full copywork activity with handwriting lines available in the complete study guide.
Discussion Questions
Narration Prompt
Retell the chapter. What signs does the chapter give us that Despereaux is a special mouse?
Discussion Questions
- Despereaux's mother names him 'for the many despairs in this place.' This is a sad name. Why does DiCamillo give the hero of the book a sad name from the very beginning?
- Despereaux is born with his eyes open and is staring at the sunlight on the ceiling. The chapter says he is 'smiling.' Most newborn mice cannot smile. What is DiCamillo telling us by giving Despereaux this impossible first action?
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Vocabulary Builder
Item 1
all the baby animals born to one mother at the same time
Item 2
a person sent by their country to talk with other countries on official business
Item 3
the feeling of being let down because something turned out worse than you hoped
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Critical Thinking
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